A REPLACEMENT building at Southam College aims to inspire sustainable school designs for the future.
The new-look college will be known as a ‘pathfinder’ since its low energy use is designed to achieve net zero carbon emissions.
School contractor BAM was appointed by the Department for Education to create the net-zero pathfinder school.
The scheme intends to set the bar and guide how schools are built in the future.
Dave Ellis, BAM’s regional director in the Midlands, said: “The building will be net zero in operation, and we are also reducing the embodied carbon – the carbon in the actual materials used in the construction. We’ve evaluated the base design and produced a range of options to reduce embodied carbon.
“What we learn from Southam College will feed into the department’s wider approach to reducing carbon in the education field. In addition, we’ll add additional significant extra social value by using local companies in our supply chain, and work around the school so classes and activities continue uninterrupted during the project.
“BAM has robust strategies responding to the climate emergency we face and putting the health and wellbeing of the students and teachers at the core of the new facilities.”
Headteacher Ranjit Samra added: “The new school design meets the highest environmental and sustainability standards and will be a symbol of how much we value our students, staff and wider community. It will help to raise expectations that anything is possible.”
New facilities include science labs, a hall, drama facilities, 3D art room, photographic facilities, food tech areas, music rooms, a sixth form hub, reception, and a dedicated special educational needs base.
